Life.

Thoughts on My Tallness

I like to say that I am 6’4″. To be completely truthful, though, I would have to say that I am 6’3″. I definitely clear 6’3″. I am somewhere between the two.

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I do not typically think of myself as “tall.” In fact, I remember the distinct moment I had to confront the reality of my tallness.

We were at a McDonald’s, myself and my wife. We were seated at one of the tables, and from our vantage point could see a modest cluster of people waiting in line to order.

One of these was a gentleman who was noticeably tall, a full head above the small crowd around him.

I found this to be amusing enough to mention to Molly. I indicated the man, and said something to the effect of, “Wow, that guy’s really tall, huh?”

She gave me a hesitant, blinking, are-you-serious sort of look.

“Uh, you realize he’s about your height, right?” she said.

I was struck. Honestly, until that moment, I had never realized — I am the guy who sticks out, noticeably tall, in a typical crowd.

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Occasionally, being tall is a hazard. The most prominent example, in my mind, is the time I hit my head on a doorway (“ran into” would be accurate) at the church I grew up in. I hit it hard enough to bleed a little. It hurt.

One could quip, “That explains a lot.”

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A nice bonus of being tall is being able to navigate crowds more easily. At events such as a state fair or an amusement park, it is difficult for me to lose a group if I am walking with them; or, at least, if I lose someone, it is easier to find them.

I am your go-to ‘spotter’ in these situations. Wondering where so-and-so wandered off to? Let me peer over the sea of humans. Ah, yes. I see her, over there, getting a funnel cake.

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I can see the tops of refrigerators. I imagine some people live their whole lives without gazing upon that world.

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The Bible brings up height in several passages. Saul, Zacchaeus, Goliath, the Nephilim (whom my small group has joked ‘were just Dutch’), etc.